Desperate plea for seasoned wood... Southern NJ, DE, Southeastern PA

[buzcranne]

At the moment I have no seasoned wood to burn this season. Is anyone aware of a source of firewood in the southern NJ area that provides truly ready-to-burn wood?


In case you're interested in the sob story, or in case you are able to learn a lesson from my mistake: The woodstove idea came to me late (like, a few weeks ago). I bought a stove, got it installed. I have a relative who said he had plenty of seasoned wood I was welcomed to have. Great deal! While he did have plenty of wood, and was very generous to give it to me and even did a lot of the work of getting it to me... it's not seasoned.

So, I called a guy who sells wood. Verified over the phone that it's ready to burn NOW. He said it's the same stuff he's burning at his own place this year. 4 cords were delivered while I was at work. Turns out it's completely not seasoned. Not even close. I'll be dealing with that issue, but for now I just need some wood to burn.

I'm not looking forward to the idea of running my normal heater this winter considering I blew this winter's heating budget on installing the new woodstove.

Lesson learned: If you need seasoned wood, SEE the wood yourself before you hand over any money. No exceptions.

 

[cannonballcobb]

See if you can search out a source for free pallets. Most are made from oak and if you burn them at the same time as some of the smaller splits from your unseasoned wood, you might be okay. Oh yeah, you can cut the pallets to fit in your stove with a sawzall; that'll work better than a chainsaw.

 

[glacialhills]

I think most would refer you to read the grasshopper and ant fable. I can only say maybe make friends with a woodburner nearby that has multiyears ahead seasoned and do a 2 for one swap. Or start going to local stores and asking for pallets to cut up or asking woodlot owners if you can cut up seasoned dead falls. At least you have wood for next year.

 

[InTheRockies]

Check for sawmills that are a reasonable distance from you. They often sell ends--a mill nearby me actually sells 3-5 ft pieces and have wood of varying ages, some old enough it's cracked and silver throughout. I had a dump truck load delivered this year and got 565 cf after cutting and stacking it. Since getting the roof and roof supports on my overflow wood shed repaired, I've made one trip back and filled up the 8 ft of my pickup and will make one more trip today (I just want to be certain that I don't run out of wood since our last 2 winters just didn't want to end). One other option is to get some fabricated, compressed sawdust bricks--they aren't available in my area but are in your neck of the woods. Good luck. At least you have a good start on next year's wood.

 

[polaris]

Yup, check the mills. You can burn unseasoned wood if it is all you have. Just have to add more air and use more wood along with keeping an eye on your chimney for creosote build up. I have burned green from time to time as have most without any serious ill effects. Heck I bet you at least 30-40% of all wood burners burn nothing but green. I'm in no way saying it's a good idea but if it's all you've got then you do what you have to do and have the chimney checked a bit sooner than you might have otherwise.

 

[buzcranne]

I think most would refer you to read the grasshopper and ant fable. ... At least you have wood for next year.

Agreed completely. We bought the house less than a year ago so there was not much time for seasoning wood for this winter. I'll have at least 2 year's worth seasoning by spring. My plan is to keep 2 to 3 seasons on hand since I have the room to store it and have some woods to harvest from.

Had I known the wood from the relative wasn't seasoned I may have gone in a different direction for this year. I'm not blaming him, he wasn't trying to deceive me or anything, but I could have been more careful.

Thanks, everyone, for the suggested sources. I may try to scrape together some palettes and scraps from a local mill to get the green stuff burning. I tried to burn some last night. Wow, not fun to get started. I'm a somewhat competent fire started and I had to tend it constantly for a couple of hours to really get things going.

I searched my 16 acres for some white ash or black locust yesterday afternoon that I could burn green, but haven't come across any yet.

 

[mellow]

In my area most people think that wood in a log form is seasoned wood after being cut down and sitting for a few months. Heck, before I came on here and started really reading I thought wood that was cut in 18" roles would be seasoned after a few months. Now I am aware that the seasoning doesn't start till its been split, and takes 6 months minimum for nice hardwood.

If you are willing to travel with a trailer I know guys in DE that are selling seasoned wood. Check out theguide.com and look in the For sale section.

 

[buzcranne]

If you are willing to travel with a trailer I know guys in DE that are selling seasoned wood. Check out theguide.com and look in the For sale section.

If I can't find anything local, then I am definitely willing to travel. I see several ads in the Guide. If you know of anyone specific who has truly seasoned wood I would appreciate the tip, either here or by PM.

Thanks!

 

[ROYJ24]

Rehing I could tell from your avatar that u blew your top when u saw
that green wood. It could be worse u could be RAYS fan :down:
GO PHILLIES! :lol: %-P

 

[branchburner]

I second the suggestion of hardwood pallets - good and hot. Get a nice coal bed with those, toss a few more on and then top it off with a greener split - it will dry at least partially by the time it sinks to the coal bed.

 

[buzcranne]

Rehing I could tell from your avatar that u blew your top when u saw
that green wood.

That's just about right. Although the avatar is actually from this formula: late night with friends + bonfire + spray paint can + shotgun + camcorder = my 2 year old niece saying "Boom. Fire. Boom" every time she saw me for the next few months.

 

[Famer]

I'm not sure where you are in South Jersey, but my wife said she saw a sign for "Free Pallets" out in front of DuBell Lumber in Medford on Rte. 70. My office also has stacks of pallets that they want to get rid of. If you PM me, I can give you more info.

 

[d.n.f.]

I will mail you some splits if you pay for postage and a minor handling charge.

At least you recognize you need to burn dry wood. I think I am the only one in a ten mile radius that is burning seasoned wood. Most people out here cut in the fall (well it looks dead so it is dry) and burn the same season (month). I have met two people (out of say 30) that actually stock up for the upcoming years. I am behind the eight ball to. Been gathering pallets and sawmill cuts to help the pile.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[Cearbhaill]

If it makes you feel any better Rehingd, nearly every novice burner goes through something similar to this the first year.
Not until you spend time learning how to most efficiently run your stove do you begin to understand what "seasoned" really means. I know I fought local firewood providers all last season, and was at times forced to use less that perfect wood. Fortunately I was also able to learn enough here (like how to to burn hot daily) so I had no creosote issues, but I sure did worry about it plenty.
Par for the course, unfortunately.
Little comfort, I know.

 

[Chettt]

The lesson we have all learned is that you cannot buy seasoned wood. Those 4 cords will be great next year or if they are oak in 2010. I burn lots of scrap in the fall and just be careful not to fill the firebox more than a third full or you can easily overfire the stove.

 

[homebrewz]

Pallets, slab wood/milled wood, or dead-standing trees.. the kind that are all grey and dried out and most of the bark has fallen off.
We have a guy around here who I bought from when I first started burning.. he collects slab wood from lumber mills and then resells it.
Its pricey, but always ready to burn. That stuff dries out quick.

In the mean time, take your best splits and split them even more and stack a weeks supply inside near the stove.
It will help, somewhat. Or, you could look at some of the solar wood drying projects discussed on this site and maybe
build yourself a little solar wood dryer to speed up the process.

Good luck!

 

[buzcranne]

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm ok with burning green wood if I have to. I would check the chimney regularly, try to burn hot, probably have professional mid-winter chimney cleaning, etc.

But ... I can't get it to burn.

 

[Risser09]

I'm selling 10 year old cherry for $1,000 a cord. j/k

Find some pallets. They are dry, accessible, and free. Just takes some cutting, prying, etc. If you have time to chit chat on here, you certainly have time to be out scrounging for pallets.

 

[cannonballcobb]

Place an ad on craigslist in the wanted section for free downed tree removal. Have the people that respond to your ad email pictures of the downed tree they want removed; if it's old enough looking, cut the tops out and those pieces should be dry enough to burn.

This works, as I've personally done it.

 

[buzcranne]

... if it's old enough looking, cut the tops out and those pieces should be dry enough to burn.

This works, as I've personally done it.

Thanks for that. This may be my answer. I have some dead standing trees on my property that have obviously been dead for a while. I cut one down the other day that I was sure would be dry enough to burn but it was not. However, I was cutting near the bottom. I bet if I work from the top I'll have some dry wood. If I glean from my 16 acres of woods I just might find enough to burn this season, using some green wood in the mix.

And, since I told the guy I'm bringing the wood back and he said I could have my $500 back, I may be better off anyway.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Dill]

If you have 16 acres of woods, why buy cordwood. The average rule of thumb is a 1 cord per acre per year. But if no one has cleaned the woods in a while you can do well just pulling out dead stuff. When my parents moved to their current place we burned beaver wood the first year. Really good size trees that they had either dropped and couldn't move or chewed enough bark off to kill standing.

 

[buzcranne]

If you have 16 acres of woods, why buy cordwood. The average rule of thumb is a 1 cord per acre per year. But if no one has cleaned the woods in a while you can do well just pulling out dead stuff. When my parents moved to their current place we burned beaver wood the first year. Really good size trees that they had either dropped and couldn't move or chewed enough bark off to kill standing.

The only reason I bought cordwood is because we bought this house just this year and I don't yet have anything seasoned. In future years I'll definitely not be buying any. Unfortunately it turned out the "seasoned" wood that I bought was just as green as the stuff I already have cut.

Maybe you (or anyone else) can help me with the dead tree thing. I have several dead trees, mostly standing trees that have obviously been dead a long time (lots of bark and limbs missing), and also some fallen, but not yet rotten, dead trees. But, when I cut them they are wet inside. Enough to clearly see and feel the moisture and they're off the chart on my moisture meter. Do I just need to give them some time to dry out? Are they wet in a different way than green wood?

 

[cannonballcobb]

The only effective way for a living or dead tree to dry is when it's cut and split. The shorter the length of cut, the quicker the drying time.

The smaller tops of standing dead trees can sometimes be dry enough to burn. The trunks will more than likely need to be cut and split for a while.

 

[gyrfalcon]

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm ok with burning green wood if I have to. I would check the chimney regularly, try to burn hot, probably have professional mid-winter chimney cleaning, etc.

But ... I can't get it to burn.

Once you can get a good hot fire going with some good stuff, you can burn the unseasoned if you split it down pretty good. But you do have to get hold of, somehow, enough dry wood to start those fires. Pallets are great, if they're the old-fashioned kind that haven't been treated with chemicals.

Sumac is also terrific, if you've got any of that around.

Same thing happened to me last year, my first. I busted up a few very old pallets, traded some of my gorgeous but unseasoned maple splits with a neighbor for some of his very dry, multi-year-seasoned wood, split down all the unseasoned stuff to 3 or 4 inches max, and left lots of air space in the firebox rather than filling it up tight, and don't close the primary air down very far. I had to tend the fire constantly and never got close to a full night's burn, but the wood did burn and I did have heat. I also bought a few cartons of firelogs and found that about a quarter of one of those would get a pile of very small splits going like gangbusters and quickly hot enough to burn slightly larger splits.

Excruciating! But I managed.

 

[FORCE FAB]

At the moment I have no seasoned wood to burn this season. Is anyone aware of a source of firewood in the southern NJ area that provides truly ready-to-burn wood?


In case you're interested in the sob story, or in case you are able to learn a lesson from my mistake: The woodstove idea came to me late (like, a few weeks ago). I bought a stove, got it installed. I have a relative who said he had plenty of seasoned wood I was welcomed to have. Great deal! While he did have plenty of wood, and was very generous to give it to me and even did a lot of the work of getting it to me... it's not seasoned.

So, I called a guy who sells wood. Verified over the phone that it's ready to burn NOW. He said it's the same stuff he's burning at his own place this year. 4 cords were delivered while I was at work. Turns out it's completely not seasoned. Not even close. I'll be dealing with that issue, but for now I just need some wood to burn.

I'm not looking forward to the idea of running my normal heater this winter considering I blew this winter's heating budget on installing the new woodstove.

Lesson learned: If you need seasoned wood, SEE the wood yourself before you hand over any money. No exceptions.

where in south jersey